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Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:51 pm
by kevm14
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v3uGJGzUYCI
Pretty concise. And way less angry than those "debates" with Toomey like 5 years ago.
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:05 am
by Adam
Did Toomey think the rotary engine was the ultimate internal combustion engine?
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:11 am
by kevm14
Pretty much. I guess Mazda had some success racing with them in the 70s.
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:23 am
by Adam
kevm14 wrote:Pretty much. I guess Mazda had some success racing with them in the 70s.
Also with the 787B in '90/'91.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_787B
Good race engines don't necessarily translate to good street engines. Especially with oil consumption being a designed-in feature.
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:27 am
by kevm14
Fuel efficiency and durability are important for racing though. Maybe durability is addressed by squirting even more oil in.
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:51 am
by bill25
Good explanation from the same guy describing how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd6pJtR4PaY
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 11:41 am
by Adam
kevm14 wrote:Fuel efficiency and durability are important for racing though. Maybe durability is addressed by squirting even more oil in.
The 787B used a tri-rotor version of the engine. More rotors = more durability? Maybe the terrible street fuel economy is acceptable in racing applications?
Re: Why the rotary is dead
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:53 am
by kevm14
There are a lot of similarities to a 2 stroke engine. That is a lot of the reason it makes a lot of power per displacement. But I think the biggest Achilles of the rotary is not the apex seals. It is the way the flame works. And that is inherent to the design. Fancy materials can't fix that.